Intermodal containers are commonly used when shipping goods domestically and/or internationally. Such containers can be loaded onto cargo ships for transport across oceans or other bodies of water. For land transport, these containers can be placed onto a trailer and then hauled overland by truck. Such containers can also be loaded onto railroad flatcars for transport.
Shipping containers can be loaded with boxes, crates, drums, reinforced bags, plastic wrapped bundles, cased goods, metal coils, specialty heavy paper rolls, plastic or metal containers mounted on pallets, and/or numerous other forms of cargo. Maritime and surface transportation regulations require that such loads be restrained from lateral shifting. In particular, a shipping container may experience significant movement as the container is carried by ocean vessel or by other conveyance. If cargo within the intermodal container is not restrained, it may shift and collide with a container wall or container doors. Because the mass of cargo in a container can be significant, such shifting and/or collisions can have catastrophic consequences for transport workers and for the public at large. For example, shifting cargo can be damaged when colliding with a container wall and/or be crushed by other shifting cargo. Damaged cargo can lead to release of product, which product may be toxic or otherwise be hazardous. As another example, shifting cargo might change the center of gravity of the shipping container itself and thereby cause significant problems for the ship, truck or other vehicle carrying the container.
FIG. 1 illustrates a known technique for restraining cargo within a shipping container 101. A portion of a top 103 and right side wall 102R have been cut away from container 101 to reveal cargo loaded therein. In the example of FIG. 1, the cargo includes a load of crates 104 and drums 105. FIG. 1 further shows a portion of an interior of a left side wall 102L. Crates 104 and drums 105 are secured against movement toward the rear 111 of container 101 by a restraint system that includes multiple restraining strips 106. Each strip 106 is flexible and has an adhesive-coated end 107. An end 107a of a first strip 106a is pressed against an interior surface of side wall 102R. The other end 108a of strip 106a is then wrapped around the rear of a portion of crates 104. Strip end 107a and other strip ends in FIG. 1 are stippled to indicate the presence of adhesive; the stippling in FIG. 1 is not intended to indicate a color differential.
A second strip 106b is similar to strip 106a and has an adhesive-coated end (not shown) similar to end 107a of strip 106a. The adhesive-coated end of strip 106b is secured to the interior surface of side wall 102L in a position that is at generally the same height as end 107a. The end 108b of the strip 106b is then wrapped around the rear of the portion of crates 104 similar to end 108a. Ends 108a and 108b are then tightened (e.g., using a tool and method such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,827, incorporated by reference herein). A third adhesive-backed strip 109 is then applied over the tightened ends 108a and 108b to secure those ends together. In a similar manner, strips 106c and 106d and other pairs of strips 106 are used to secure crates 14 and drums 105 from lateral movement.
There are various types of known restraining strips that can be used in the configuration of FIG. 1. Such strips typically include a backing and some form of reinforcement. Examples of known strips are described in one or more of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,089,802, 6,227,779, 6,607,337, 6,896,459, 6,923,609, 7,018,151, 7,066,698, 7,290,969, 7,329,074, 8,113,752, 8,128,324, 8,403,607, 8,403,608, 8,403,609, 8,408,852 and 8,419,329. Use of these and other types of restraining strips such as is shown in FIG. 1 represents a substantial improvement over previous methods for restraining cargo. However, there remains a need for improved load restraint strips that can be used in systems such as those shown in FIG. 1.
For example, proper installation of load restraint strips can significantly affect the performance and load restraint capacity of the load restraint system formed by those strips. Improper placement of a restraint strip adhesive-coated end (e.g., end 107a in FIG. 1) accounts for a high percentage of restraint system failures. If such an adhesive-coated end is not placed properly, the overall system strength can be substantially reduced. In many cases, personnel installing load restraint strips may be working very quickly so as to maximize cargo loading throughput. Such installation personnel may be unskilled workers or may be subject to less than ideal supervision. After a container has been loaded, inspecting a restraint system installation may be difficult. For example, the inside of a cargo container may be poorly lit and it may be difficult to see the portions of load restraint strips that are attached to the container wall. This difficulty may be compounded by placement of cargo very close to the container wall, thereby leaving insufficient space for a supervisor, marine surveyor or other person to access the wall-adhered end for a close inspection.